Can Data Really Be Held Securely In The Cloud?

It’s a common misconception that data held within the cloud is more open to attack than data held on a physical system. It’s actually no less or more secure, it really depends on the process and policy as to whether data is deemed as secure or not, not the location of the data.

The cloud can be looked at the in the same way as a bank. A bank will hold your money for you within a centralised location. This means that your money is safe, and you have instant access as and when you need it.

Data held in the cloud can be looked upon the same way as a money in a bank. It is a centralised location managed by people specialised in managing data and keeping it away from prying eyes. Many people are often subjected to stories about leaked celebrity photographs and customer identities, what you may not know that in most instances, the data was held on site.

This goes back to how the security is implemented around the data. Regardless of where the data is located, if the correct procedure hasn’t been put in place, it’s at risk either way.

What Can Be Done Within The Cloud?

A number of businesses have taken advantage of the cloud and what it has to offer. Document sharing has never been so easy, and people are able to send music and video at the touch of a button. As data is stored within the cloud, it means it can be viewed by anyone with the correct security credentials. As such, staff within different locations can all view the files contained within the cloud in unison. This means that staff productivity can increase tremendously as they won’t be waiting for files to arrive via e-mail.

What Cloud Provider Should I Use?

There are a vast number of providers offering a number of different services at a number of different price points. The first thing to consider when selecting a cloud provider is the needs of you and your business. There’s very little point in investing in a service that is going to be of little use to your particular business.

Consider what kind of files will be held within the cloud, is there a specific platform that would better suit your business? Will the platform be easy to use? Make a list of what you deem important. For example, you may be looking to store a specific kind of file, or you may be looking for a large storage limit.

Once you have a general idea of you expect from your potential provider, you can then search the internet for relevant providers.

I’m Still Concerned over Security

Cloud services are really secure, but to say they’re never attacked would be a lie. Evidently, this will leave a few people sceptical to adopting such technology. But businesses can look to security providers such as Dell to help reinforce the barriers to stop potential attackers from gaining entry to sensitive information.